🔍 Key Concepts

• Anchor windlass components – wildcat (gypsy), devil’s claw, brake, and stripping bar • How chain feeds onto and off of the wildcat when hoisting and lowering the anchor • What can cause chain fouling or jumping on the wildcat under load

💭 Think About

• Visualize the path of the anchor chain from the hawsepipe, across the wildcat, and down into the chain locker. At which point would a special bar be needed? • Ask yourself: if the chain tried to ride up, jump, or wrap around the wildcat, what simple fixed part could stop that from happening? • Think about which part of the windlass actually shifts or engages the wildcat, and which parts are fixed guides or guards for the chain.

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify which component is normally used to engage or disengage the wildcat (hint: it is not a simple bar alongside the chain). • Confirm which choice describes a function that protects proper seating of the chain in the wildcat pockets when hauling in or veering. • Eliminate any option that sounds like a general or "nice to have" function rather than a specific mechanical purpose related to the wildcat and chain run.